Quote:
Originally Posted by Doitsu
Actually, many modern PDFs include native text layers that are fully searchable, selectable, and copyable. When properly tagged for accessibility, tools like Adobe Acrobat can reflow them (via View > Zoom > Reflow) into a single-column format for better reading.
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It's not the intention of PDF design. It's for either print or screen readable version of print. Real ebook formats are for reflowable. Also fixed Layout "ebooks" (Kindle or epub) are a marketing artefact because PDF does that more universally and is used for almost all actual print..
PDFs could always have had text layers, selectable/copyable or searchable. It was derived from Postscript. A design/format decision. So no need for the "modern" adjective. Also reflowing a PDF breaks the design as it's always based on a specific size page, which need not be the same on each page. You don't need Adobe tools either. All certainly possible twenty years ago with Adobe or 3rd party tools.
The Adobe PDF format is more than 30 years old.
Postscript is searchable & reflowable & copyable and is over 40 years old.
Each PDF page can be multiple layers and include PostScript.